


Meet and Greet

by OhhMyy



Series: Coming Back To Life. [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 10:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7797847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhhMyy/pseuds/OhhMyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time he meets her she smiles. </p><p>First part in the series, can be read as a stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet and Greet

**Author's Note:**

> First part in the series. Most can be read as stand alone pieces as I try to finish each mini-story before linking them in.
> 
> Companion piece to Home Again and Making a Mistake.

He smells breakfast as he enters the kitchen, bare feet padding gently on smooth carpet before they hit the linoleum that signals a change in the open plan room. Tony, Steve, Natasha and Thor sit around on various stools and chairs but there is a new face in the crowd, specifically there’s a new face dishing up bacon and eggs. The chatter dies down somewhat and various greetings are offered as the new face turns towards him, smile firmly in place.

She’s beautiful, he thinks; long dark hair, medium height with full lips and kind green eyes; she’s dressed in a simple light blue summer dress, strappy; casual, and her eyes crinkle gently at the sides as she smiles at him.

“Hi, you must be Bucky. I’m Charlie, nice to meet you!” Voice smooth like honey and full of warmth; she holds up a pan containing scrambled eggs in place of a wave but he gets the idea. He returns the smile warily but isn’t quite sure how to respond. Steve swallows a mouth full of food and shuffles his chair slightly to make space for him.

“You want breakfast Bucky?” She asks as he hops onto a bar stool; she’s already placed fresh rashers of bacon into the pan before he can reply and he’s searching through his memories in an attempt to recall her; he has various memories of passing comments with her name and she seems familiar with the group; definitely familiar enough with the kitchen to be in charge.

She dishes him up a plate, placing it gently in front of him and puts the pan in the sink, filling it with water in an effort to soak it, before hopping up onto the counter in front of Tony (blocking his view and he does not take that kindly, prodding her in the ribs with a finger as she laughs) and lifting up her own plate of eggs. He eats, fully aware that he’s staring at her with what must be perplexity showing on his face.

“Who are you?” He blurts without intention and worries momentarily that he’s offended someone but Tony, Charlie, Steve and Natasha all laugh.

“Sorry, this must be weird; strange woman in the kitchen. I have the misfortune of calling Tony my best friend” Tony huffs and prods her again before standing and placing his empty plate by the sink.

“I am a delight and you know it”

They banter between themselves, bickering and jabbing as he looks to Steve for help.

“I’m sure we’ve mentioned her Buck, she pops in and out at will but I think she’s here for a while this time around”  He nods, feigning understanding of the situation at hand as everyone leaves their plates by the sink and files out into various locations around the tower.

“I’ll do the washing up then guys!” She calls after them, but there’s still laughter in her voice. She hops off the counter and folds a tea towel; whipping Tony on the ass with it as he tries to sneak from the kitchen without helping, he yelps and makes a run for what Bucky presumes is another day in the lab; Banner is absent and there’s no question in his mind that he’s already been in the lab for hours.

“I’ll help” he volunteers, having found his voice again.

“I was joking, it’s alright, I don’t mind” Still smiling, he’s a little enthralled but passingly worried that he face might actually crack and pretty sure people aren’t supposed to be this happy continually.

“You wash, I’ll dry?”

“Alright” She hands him the towel and turns the tap on the run warm in the sink, waiting patiently she turns towards him as they stand side by side.

“So I’m not nearly as famous here as I thought”

“Just not with me I think, seems everyone else already knows you”

“That they do, you’re the newest person Tony has staggeringly fooled into giving him company”

He laughs, but he’s been here for six months already and has never met her, how close can they be?

“Fairly close, I’ve known him since he was thirteen”

He offers her a repentant expression, not aware he’d spoken out loud and she turns the tap off before making a start on the dishes.

“I’m somewhat of a free spirit; well that’s what Tony says. I take photographs for travel magazines so I haven’t been in one place for too long, I was here for a good few months after the Battle of New York so I met everyone and I’ve been here a few times since, even have my own room!”

He knows there are numerous guest rooms in the tower, Tony having converted one for specifically for him but he hazards a guess she’s been at least a semi-permanent resident in the past to have her own space and then wonders what her room looks like.

“How did you meet him?”

“He was a wild child; Howard and Maria” She doesn’t miss his wince at those names and briefly pauses to look at him in contemplation; sympathy crosses her features where he had expected disgust “they sent him to my parents farm, I think to teach him some responsibility but my parents were hippies so we spent the summer mostly messing around getting into trouble” She says it with fondness as she finishes washing a plate to hand to him.

“Sounds fun, someone knew Stark before the ego hit!”

“Oh God no, he had the ego as a kid, he’s a Stark!” She hands him the last plate and watches him dry it before putting the dishes away in a cupboard above her head. He moves to help her but withdraws his metal arm quickly away from her when she flinches slightly, shielding himself from the repulsion he expects but when he looks up she’s smiling at him again apologetically.

She reaches an arm out and places her hand against the metal, squeezing gently before letting her it drop.

“It was really nice to meet you Bucky”

“You too, Doll” He’s not sure where the sudden cockiness comes from, flirty and confident Bucky has been absent for a long time and he knows without question he’s never coming back but her face lights up just a little at the nickname and he makes a mental note to use it often.

Clint enters the kitchen, wiping sleep from his eyes and still clothed in nightwear, his eyes open fully when he clocks her; excitement lighting up his features and she skirts around Bucky with a squeal to launch herself at the archer. Clint’s arms come around her back as he lifts her quickly off the ground in a hug before settling her back down. Bucky watches them, fascinated.

“Holy hell is it good to see you”

“You too Birdy” She ruffles his hair with one hand and gestures to the kitchen.

“You missed breakfast” He hears Clint sigh before he pushes her playfully out of the way and heads to grab a cereal box, cursing under his breath.

“Bird, later, five?” She asks cryptically and he gets the feeling that like conversations between Clint and Natasha he’s going to end up confused trying to understand much of what they say to each other. Clint nods at her and offers a small salute before raiding the fridge for milk to go with his cereal.

“Well, I promised my assistance to the anti-social men folk this morning, if you don’t see me in a few hours please assume I’m being used as a human experiment and send help. See you later Boys”

She flashes him another grin and a wave before wandering out.

He finds himself smiling widely after her and feeling a lot lighter than usual.


End file.
